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    Penny's Drive In

    4.2 (128 reviews)
    InexpensiveHawaiian
    Open 5:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Penny's Drive In Photos

    Business Info

    PENNY'S DRIVE IN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Penny's Drive In

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    Mini mahi mahi
    Rowena Y.

    Thank you Penny's for the good customer service and best breaded mahi mahi. It's been over 20 years since I've been here.

    Fried Chicken wings plate
    Gabriel P.

    Pickup a fried chicken wings plate today. It came with 6 pieces of chicken wings mac salad and rice. It was nice and crisp. How ever the wings was overwhelmed with salt. The mac salad was on the sweet side. My wife ordered the Portuguese sausage breakfast. Her comment was breakfast is breakfast. The service was friendly and efficient. They do have limited seating. Four high counter stools, and two tables. Enjoy

    Chicken wings plate
    Deborah P.

    After my doctor's appointment my husbandxwanted breakfast again at the place on sand island access road. Well we went there but they close on Thursday so the next place was Penny's. I walked in and I chose breakfast 2 eggs with Portuguese sausage. My husband chose fried chicken. The service was friendly and the pick up was at the other side of the counter. After you order then you go to the other side to pick up. Came home and we ate my breakfast was ok breakfast is breakfast the Portuguese sausage was 5 pieces and the eggs were cooked good over easy yolk was nice and running. My husband chicken he said was salty. The pickle onions was vinegary. It turned out to be chicken wings not different kind of pieces of chicken. I guess now to try their pies looks homemade in their refrigerator section. Other than that said the food was OK

    Regular Hamburger steak plate , delicious! Third best on Oahu , so far!
    Gerald P.

    Went by their good reviews & was close to Sand Island Road,easy to find, parking limited in areas fronting drive in. Once inside, nice menu items,breakfast starting @ 5am and pau @ 10am & running thru lunch, closes @ 1:30 pm. Looking for the best Hamburger steak plate in Hawaii , went with their reviews & ordered that with a small salt less fries. You can dine in, they have about seating for about 12 no a/c , so was pretty warm. I suggest going to the near by beach park. They serve Coke products. Hamburger steak regular plate was $ 14.50 Side of chopped onions in a small ramekin, White rice & Mac salad. The steak & gravy was good , but I know of 2 other Oahu eatery's that do it better.Fries were hot & excellent& both portions were value good. The gal, ( aunty) taking & serving our food was super service oriented & friendly. Will return if in the area. Closed on the weekends! Enjoy! Penny's.

    Small plate of sweet & sour pork ribs with a large fountain coke drink.
    Randy M.

    The sweet & sour spare ribs and a large Coke. Is today's choice for lunch. Time to put it to test and rate it

    ...huh?
    Craig S.

    ...does that sign even make any sense? I know they're closed on the weekend but when they come back, will Monday and Tuesday cease to exist anymore? Anyway, their roast beef plate is worth the wait! Cooked, proportioned and seasoned PERFECTLY (I often dream about the way the meat and gravy taste together)!!!

    Jason M.

    First time typing here, wife and mother in law always come for the hamburger curry! I got the roast pork with brown gravy and shoyu chicken! Both was very tender and the brown gravy was very tasty! Service was fast and friendly and I'll be back!

    Lois I.

    Went to Penny's Drive In and ordered the mini roast pork with pickled onions ($.25). I am coming out of a bad case of bronchitis, but this lunch hit the spot. It tasted very good considering my taste buds are not all working. The pickled onions was what I needed. We ordered ahead...and the food was ready on time for pick up. No real ambience...but cute little diner....nice selection on the menu.

    Lily D.

    cute hole in the wall in sand island. i like how they are pretty festive with their decorations for Halloween. there is a few parking stalls out front - and i think 2 of them was dedicated to just pennys. they take cash or card with a small fee. ordering is simple through the first window at the entrance. there is some kind of PA system so they can hear you through the glass. all of the worders were really friendly. pickup is at the next window at towards the exit, but they don't want you to block the area so just move aside. There is a few bar tables and sit down tables in this back corner if you decide to eat there. I ordered the hamburger deluxe for 5.50, beef stew bowl no rice for $9, and then a saimin $5. the hamburger was the best. beef stew could have been better if the meat was softer, and the saimin noodles was soggy - maybe because it was already in the soup and not separated. the saimin bowl was also leaking from the top lid. otherwise, the food is ok, but not something i would go out of my way for again.

    Regular breakfast corn beef hash fried rice over easy eggs
    Leland N.

    This place is pretty small but since we went during Halloween it was very festive with all the Halloween decorations. The lady that help us was nice and very easy to talk to they do have a PA type of system for when you order and for pick up so you can hear them very clearly. So on to the food I had the regular breakfast with corn beef hash with fried rice and over easy eggs and my friend had their roast pork with Mac salad and pickled onions with white rice. We both enjoyed our plates for me it was just the right amount of food I wasn't too full or still hungry.

    The Spread (Part 1)...

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    3 months ago

    Best breakfast take out!!! Love their fried rice and corned beef hash!!! The ladies they are always so nice and friendly!!!

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    7 months ago

    Best local food in town! Especially take-out plates and the best hamburger sandwiches I ever had!

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    pennys is mayjah. The food is super Ono and the service is very fast. The prices are actually affordable unlike Everywhere else in Hawai'i

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    11 months ago

    Yummy food. I like the hash. Go early, fried rice sells out fast. They close early anyways. Nice aunties...another diamond in the rough.

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    2 years ago

    Really liked the corn beef sandwiches and tuna sandwiches. Also there blueberries pie . Price is reasonable. All in. Ready to go pack.

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    1 year ago

    Food is very tasty plentiful, service is great very friendly, and ambiance is just awesome clean roomy .

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great roast pork!!! The meat is soft and the gravy is delicious. It does sell out so get there by 1:00.

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    2 years ago

    Small Place inside with little seating area mostly to go orders during lunch time. The burger was huge really fat and juicy.

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    Page 1 of 4

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    Helena's Hawaiian Food

    Helena's Hawaiian Food

    4.4(4.5k reviews)
    1.6 miKalihi
    $$

    @fortunefoodfinds: "This deserves a ROUND of applause! Whether you're visiting or simply wanting…read morelocal grindz, HELENA'S HAWAIIAN FOOD is sure to make your trip and/or meal feel complete. Ordered our must-haves: Short Ribs Pipikaula Style, Fried Butterfish Collar, Luau Squid, Long Rice Chicken, Lomi Salmon, Lau Lau, Poi, Mac Salad, Rice, n' their complimentary Haupia, Onions, n' Salt. Food so Ono I highly recommend, this very well-known local Hawaiian eatery again n' again!" SERVICE: fast n' fully staffed INTERIOR: spacious with limited seating EXTERIOR: gets hot, have water n' benches available WAIT TIME: came on a Thursday afternoon n' surprisingly wasn't too busy. After joining the waitlist that you sign in through the provided iPad, I would say 30 mins before getting seated. PARKING: very small free lot in front, limited spaces OVERALL COMMENTS: haven't had Helena's in a while so I've been craving it. Each visit is satisfying n' the food is always so good. I can't remember the amount of pieces they used to give for a large order of Short Ribs Pipikaula Style, it seemed smaller this time, but either way you gotta order it along with the Fried Butterfish Collar. Their Luau Squid is so creamy n' delicious just like everything else, all Ono. You can't go wrong bc this is truly local Hawaiian food at its finest!

    I visited Helena's Hawaiian Food while vacationing in Oahu. I haven't been to Hawaii in years and…read moreall my friends raved about Helena's. I had to try it for myself. I expected the restaurant to have a long wait time, but we got lucky. There was no wait and my family and I were seated right away. As soon as we sat down, we were served with cups of ice cold water perfect for the hot humid day. We ordered Menu B which came with Kalua Pig and Pipikaula Short ribs with your choice of sides which we chose rice. We also ordered another plate of the short ribs and added haupia and mac salad. I wish I got the server's name, she was so cool but she explained all the food and how to eat the side dishes. They served sliced onions with pink salt and that was delicious. The short ribs were thick, tender, savory and had the perfect amount of fat. The flavor was addicting. The kalua pig was really good, perfect amount of salt and smoke flavor. The mac salad really well with all the food we ordered and that alone was already good. The haupia for dessert was the best way to end the meal. Everything was just heaven. Parking was easy since it was during the week and early in the afternoon, but there is street parking. The restaurant was clean, all the workers were really nice, and very attentive from start to finish. My sister and I split the bill, so I paid my portion and added a tip. The person processing my payment told me they had refunded my tip because gratuity was already included. How awesome is that?! I'm sure many other restaurants wouldn't have mentioned it and would have just accepted the extra tip. That level of honesty and service is what keeps people coming back, and it's one of the many reasons I would highly recommend Helena's to my friends and family who haven't been there yet. I plan to visit Hawaii again before the holidays and I'm definitely going to be eating here again. Mahalo to everyone at Helena's!

    Photos
    Helena's Hawaiian Food - New larger inside dining area

    New larger inside dining area

    Helena's Hawaiian Food - Menu B: Kalua Pig And Pipikaula Short Ribs

    Menu B: Kalua Pig And Pipikaula Short Ribs

    Helena's Hawaiian Food - Inside

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    Inside

    Highway Inn Kaka'ako - Mochiko Chicken

    Highway Inn Kaka'ako

    4.1(2k reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    So much aloha in this place. The hostess was friendly and cleared a table as our friends waited for…read moreus to arrive. Our server was informative and helpful. The restaurant is quite busy during weekday lunch, but the tables cleared pretty quickly. Two of us shared the sampler ($33.99 for pork lau lau, compared to $31.99 for chicken lau lau), although our server said that some individuals order it for themselves. The sampler came with lomi lomi salmon, squid lu'au, chicken long rice, poi, lau lau (pork or chicken), sweet potato and poi. It was filling for the two of us. We thought we might add something else à la cart, but we didn't need anything more. So good. We were surprised by the sweetness of the coconut milk in the squid lu'au. Everything was yummy! We were happy to have had such tasty Hawaiian food. Yay! There's a smaller paid parking lot in front of the restaurant. It was full, so we went to the parking structure behind. The restaurant validated for 90 minutes. Remember to scan the QR code in the parking lot after you park and to ask the hostess at the restaurant to validate online before you leave the restaurant.

    Highway Inn is a family-owned, third-generation Hawaiian restaurant featured on Food Network's…read moreDiners, Drive-Ins and Dives, serving traditional island comfort food since 1947. What better way for the first dinner on Oahu to be with some friends at Highway Inn. Two of us shared a pork laulau combo and a regular side of beef stew at the insistence of our friend. I also tried the kalua pork nachos and lau lau lumpia. Every bite was flavorful and delicious and had I not been eating throughout the whole entire day, I would have finished off the plate. It was that good. Comfort food since 1947? I can see it. Great eats.

    Photos
    Highway Inn Kaka'ako
    Highway Inn Kaka'ako - KALUA PIG NACHOS,FRIED RICE & SOUR CREAM

    KALUA PIG NACHOS,FRIED RICE & SOUR CREAM

    Highway Inn Kaka'ako - Fried Rice

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    Fried Rice

    Rainbow Drive-In - Solid little place for some local food

    Rainbow Drive-In

    3.8(6.1k reviews)
    5.9 miKaimuki
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    62 years in business

    Son wanted to go here. He saw it on TikTok. I got the. BBq pork meal. The pork was great. A…read moregazillion pounds of rice. I only at about 1/4 of it. The macaroni salad was macaroni with what seemed like just mayo. (Not my jam). He had the loco moco. He loved it. Again a billion pounds of rice. Kid had a hot dog. Didn't finish it. Quality was really low. Maybe we are used to dodger dog snap style flavorful ones. Anyway was a nice little meal and took a walk at the park a couple blocks away to walk off the massive amounts of rice.

    My family, across multiple generations, has been going here for decades, close to back when they…read morefirst opened. We have homes in the neighborhood. And we just can't go here anymore unless changes are made! We used to prefer them over Zippy's, but now they are less than 7-Eleven quality, while charging higher-end prices for the neighborhood. We have given them many chances, hoping it was just a fluke, but we have repeatedly been disappointed. Their chicken has become chewy and fatty, their rice is mediocre, and condiments such as mayonnaise are stripped down to the bare minimum quantity. Chile is poured so lightly that it is practically a minuscule amount. And their prices have continued to rise. I don't know if greedy people took over the restaurant who just don't care anymore, or what is going on. I remember when I used to take people here, and they would be impressed with the quality and quantity--plates just heaping with good cuts of meat, noodles, and rice. Those days are no more. As they say in Japan, the price performance is poor. Furthermore, their staff is rude. I can only imagine it was an owner working this day because it was a face I haven't seen that often. An older gentleman who appeared to be of Okinawan descent, working the cashier register, accosted us because I was privately discussing with my family about splitting different items with them. We were all ordering something, so he wasn't losing any money, but he told us about how prices are double in Waikīkī. First of all, it is rude to interrupt your customers that way. Secondly, we don't go to Waikīkī or care about Waikīkī. What happened to serving the locals? Third, Waikīkī has an assortment of restaurants, prices, and qualities, and they shouldn't be how you base your services. Lastly, I guarantee I could find a better deal in Waikīkī if I wanted to. Next time you're in the area, just go get a $6 bento or a $5 burrito from 7-Eleven next door. I assure you, the price performance and experience will be better. If Rainbow Drive-In is in the business of comparing themselves to other things, let's compare them to 7-Eleven and at least try to be better than them, right? I can get mochiko chicken from 7-Eleven for $6.99 that is similar in portion size and better quality. Meanwhile, they are serving their fatty, dry chicken for $16.75. Highway robbery! And they are not fancy, with their dirty picnic tables and plastic cutlery. They are just a step above a food truck, if that. Save yourself from the hype. They have gone downhill like a landslide. Go elsewhere.

    Photos
    Rainbow Drive-In - Rainbows mixed plate

    Rainbows mixed plate

    Rainbow Drive-In - Loco Moco Plate

    Loco Moco Plate

    Rainbow Drive-In - Turns out I was wearing my GRAVY ALL OVER shirt so I had to get a pic with my loco moco!

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    Turns out I was wearing my GRAVY ALL OVER shirt so I had to get a pic with my loco moco!

    Waiahole Poi Factory - Fresh, hand pounded poi, traditional staple of the Hawaiian people

    Waiahole Poi Factory

    4.5(1.6k reviews)
    11.2 mi
    $$

    A legit 5 star hole in the wall along the highway. Absolutely worth the stop…read more The food is authentic and flavorful. Try the beef lau lau. I was so pleasantly surprised by it. Although everything was so good. Service was insanely fast and super friendly. Lots of outdoor tables with umbrellas, the place was pretty busy but we were able to get seating and we got our food in seconds.

    I can't even count how many times we've driven by this place en route to the North Shore. Finally…read moredecided to stop by for lunch. While they do have a parking, I suggest just parking on the street and walking up to the place. Signs clearly direct you to which window you can order food from and another for food pickup/dessert only ordering. We opted for combo plate (kalua pork and chicken long rice) w/ a side of poi. Both the kalua pork and chicken long rice were tasty but wished we had ordered rice instead so that i could mop up the delicious fat from the kalua pork! Loved the haupia pudding but wished they would give you a bit more. For dessert we ordered the tahitian sweet lady which was delicious! Wasn't a fan of the salmon lomi as it was pretty fishy for me. As we waited for our food, we noticed a dessert chilling on the ledge and joked with my wife that it was likely ours. Sure enough after 10 mins, the ice cream guy asked the cashier whose it was and at that time was our number called. Sadly, the ice cream had already started to melt. Wished they wouldn't have prepared the dessert until after our food was ready. Would definitely head back for their plate lunches and to try the sweet lady of waiahole dessert.

    Photos
    Waiahole Poi Factory
    Waiahole Poi Factory - Amazing food. Ho'io salad is a must. Fresh poi is tops. You can't go wrong at Waiahole Poi Factory.

    Amazing food. Ho'io salad is a must. Fresh poi is tops. You can't go wrong at Waiahole Poi Factory.

    Waiahole Poi Factory - The Ohana at Waiahole Poi Factory with members of One Groove.

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    The Ohana at Waiahole Poi Factory with members of One Groove.

    Da Ono Hawaiian Foods

    Da Ono Hawaiian Foods

    3.9(297 reviews)
    5.7 miKaimuki
    $$

    3.5 stars We wanted…read moreto try authentic Hawaiian food and came across this spot. The owner was very friendly and took the time to recommend dishes for us, including the laulau and lechon kawali. We also ordered the BBQ short ribs. Overall, it was a good experience trying Hawaiian food, but it's just not really our type of cuisine. The laulau was quite dry, and the preparation felt more like meat that had been boiled or cooked in liquid, which isn't something I usually enjoy. The lechon kawali had a crispy pork belly texture, topped with something similar to a salsa, but it didn't suit our taste either. Unfortunately, the cabbage served with it also had some black spots, which was off-putting. The BBQ short ribs were the highlight of the meal and the dish we enjoyed the most. We appreciate the experience and the hospitality, but the flavors just didn't quite match our personal preferences.

    Good local Hawaiian food restaurant. Street parking only. Small restaurant I believe it was Ono…read moreHawaii on Kapahulu before. Now it is named the Da Ono Hawaiian Foods. Either the owner or the manager seemed like a one man show. He was the server, bus boy, and chef. Husband got the pipikalua short ribs/he enjoyed. Sisters got the pork lau lau which came with sweet potato, rice or poi, lomi lomi salmon (more onion and tomato than salmon). i got the chicken lau lau, again stuffed with chicken, not enough taro leaves. The Haupia was smoky, so either burnt or something- inedible! Only six tables in the entire restaurant. The gentleman that was serving us I believe was also the bus boy, cook, server and cashier! Place is a hole in the wall with missing ceiling tiles and exposed panels above our table (gross!!). Sis loves this dive so we keep coming back!

    Photos
    Da Ono Hawaiian Foods - Menu

    Menu

    Da Ono Hawaiian Foods - Short Ribs Plate

    Short Ribs Plate

    Da Ono Hawaiian Foods - Menu

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    Menu

    Penny's Drive In - hawaiian - Updated August 2026

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